Battery rack with spill containment

ABSTRACT

A battery rack system and method are provided including a battery rack for holding a plurality of batteries. Further included is a liner-equipped containment system connected to the battery rack. The containment system is adapted for containing leaks or spills from the batteries.

RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/960,759, filed on Sep. 21, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,124,771 which is,in turn, a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/428,192,filed on Oct. 27, 1999, now issued under U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,728, whichare fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is spill containment systems and methods, andmore particularly, is systems and methods for containing, neutralizingand/or monitoring spills from batteries or other devices.

BACKGROUND

In our industrial society, devices often contain substances that mayleak or spill undesirably onto other devices, personnel, or theenvironment. For example, batteries may be stored on battery racks wherethe batteries serve as a backup power supply for data communicationcenters and computers. These batteries may contain acid that may leak orspill onto other batteries, cables, equipment, and other devices as wellas personnel, thereby posing a hazard to people and property. Sulfuricacid, commonly found in batteries, is an extremely hazardous materialregulated by the federal, state and local governments. With respect tobatteries, Article 64 of the Uniform Building Code requires a four-inchhigh containment barrier with an acid neutralization capability to a pHof 7-9. Similarly, other devices may need containment systems. Suchdevices include but are not limited to air conditioning units that maydrip water from condensation or leak freon, or water heaters that mayleak water.

Regardless of the device and the substance that may leak, it isdesirable to contain leaks and spills. It is further desirable toneutralize and absorb the leaks and spills to prevent the leaks andspills from spreading. Finally, it is desirable to have a system thatnot only detects leaks, but also indicates whether a leak has occurred.

SUMMARY

A battery rack system and method are provided including a battery rackfor holding a plurality of batteries. Further included is aliner-equipped containment system connected to the battery rack. Thecontainment system is adapted for containing leaks or spills from thebatteries.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spill containment system forstationary batteries.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the battery spill containment system of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the battery spill containment system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded piece-part drawing of the major components of abattery spill containment system and a battery rack.

FIG. 5 is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containmentsystem.

FIG. 6 is a battery spill containment system formed in a rectangularshape.

FIG. 7 is a battery spill containment system formed in anotherrectangular shape.

FIG. 8 is a battery spill containment system formed in yet anotherrectangular shape.

FIG. 9 is a battery spill containment system formed in an L-shape.

FIG. 10 is a battery spill containment system formed in a U-shape.

FIG. 11 is a battery spill containment system formed in another shape.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a pillow.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a sock.

FIG. 14 is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containmentsystem.

FIG. 15 is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containmentsystem that uses a pad and grid which sits underneath batteries.

FIG. 16 is a drawing of a pad.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a containment rail system.

FIG. 18 is a front edge view of the containment rail system of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a top view of the containment rail system of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a battery spill containment system withbatteries.

FIG. 21 is an exploded piece-part view of a battery spill containmentsystem, a leak detection device and a battery rack.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a containment rail.

FIG. 23 is a side edge view of the containment rail of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of an adjustable containment rail.

FIG. 26 is a side edge view of the containment rail of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 25.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a corner containment rail.

FIG. 29 is a front view of the corner containment rail of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a top view of the corner containment rail of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a containment rail.

FIG. 32 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 31.

FIG. 34 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 31.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of a containment rail having a differentdimension than the containment rail of FIG. 31.

FIG. 36 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 35.

FIG. 38 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 35.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a containment rail having a differentdimension than the containment rails of FIGS. 31 and 35.

FIG. 40 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 39.

FIG. 41 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 39.

FIG. 42 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 39.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of a containment rail having one flange.

FIG. 44 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 43.

FIG. 45 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 43.

FIG. 46 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 43.

FIG. 47 is a perspective view of a containment rail having a notch.

FIG. 48 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 47.

FIG. 49 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 47.

FIG. 50 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 47.

FIG. 51 is a perspective view of a containment rail with components tomount the rail to the floor.

FIG. 52 is a perspective view of a containment rail having slots.

FIG. 53 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 52.

FIG. 54 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 52.

FIG. 55 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 52.

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a containmentrail having slots.

FIG. 57 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 56.

FIG. 58 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 56.

FIG. 59 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 56.

FIG. 60 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of containmentrail having slots.

FIG. 61 is a front view of the containment rail of FIG. 60.

FIG. 62 is a side view of the containment rail of FIG. 60.

FIG. 63 is a top view of the containment rail of FIG. 60.

FIG. 64 is a perspective view of a containment system for batterieswhich illustrates the use of a liner and pillows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject invention is a spill containment system and method.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spill containment system and batteryrack for stationary batteries. The spill containment system 10 ismounted below a battery rack 12 that supports a plurality of batteries14. The spill containment system 10 includes containment barriers 16that are mounted to each other and to the floor with concrete flooranchors. Contained within the perimeter of the containment rails 16 arepillows 18. The pillows absorb spills and/or neutralize the spilledmaterial. For example, in this particular embodiment of a containmentsystem directed to battery spills, the pillows 18 absorb and neutralizethe acid spilled from batteries 14 so that the acid does not leak ontothe floor. The system prevents the acid from leaking onto the floor inorder to prevent a hazardous situation for employees who may slip andfall, or burn themselves on the acid, as well as to prevent the acidfrom damaging nearby property and devices such as computers. Often thebatteries serve as a backup energy source for computers,telecommunications and data management systems, so it is important thatspilled battery acid does not damage nearby cables and computers.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are the front and side views of the battery spillcontainment system of FIG. 1 respectively.

FIG. 4 is an exploded piece-part drawing of the major components of abattery spill containment system 10 and a battery rack 12. A containmentrail system 20 is anchored to the floor. In this particular embodimentin FIG. 4, the containment rail system 20 comprises a plurality ofcontainment rails 16 that are mounted to each other and to the floor. Ina preferred embodiment, the containment rails 16 are constructed out of16 gauge sheet metal and coated with a material to make them resistantto and less likely to be damaged by the spilled material. For example,the containment rails 16 may be preferably coated with a layer ofpolyvinylchloride (“PVC”) to a thickness of 10-15 millimeters or epoxypaint. It is further preferable that all surfaces of the containmentrails 16 be coated by PVC or epoxy paint. For instance, even the holesin the containment rails 16 may be coated by PVC. Alternatively, thecontainment rails may be epoxy painted instead of PVC coated. Alsoalternatively, the components of each embodiment described in thispatent specification may be fabricated out of metal, plastic,polypropylene, or other suitable materials. The containment rail systemmay be a bright safety yellow per OSHA standards.

An optional corrosion resistant liner 24 may be inserted into thecontainment rail system 20. In particular, the corrosion resistant liner24 is preferably fabricated of PVC with dielectric welded or thermalwelded seams. For example, the material of the liner 24 may be coatedwith PVC on one side over a polyester web. As another example, the liner24 may be fabricated out of a PVC thermoplastic material available asmodel C3000 (or C3 membrane) sold by Cooley Roofing Systems, Inc.(http://www.dupont.com/industrialpolymers/roofing/cooley.html) ModelC3000 has been used in the roofing industry, but not in spillcontainment systems. As yet another example, the liner 24 may befabricated out of a composite material such as a PVC-copolymer alloycomposite. An example of a PVC-copolymer alloy is available from IB RoofSystems (http://www.Ibroof.com). Another example is a thirty-two ouncepolyurethane available from FOSS Environmental and Infrastructure Inc.in Seattle, Wash. (http://www.fossenv.com). An embodiment of the liner24 may have a thickness, for example, of 50 to 80 millimeters.Certainly, other thicknesses are permissible.

Alternatively, the liner 24 may be fabricated out of vinyl or any othermaterial that is resistant to damage from the spilled substance. Theliner 24 is cut and welded at its seams to form a liner of a desiredshape. The liner 24 can be heat welded, or more preferably,dielectrically welded. Preferably, the liner 24 has an edge which risesabout four inches to create a containment perimeter. The corrosionresistant liner 24 is preferably placed within the perimeter formed bythe containment rail system 20, although the liner 24 could be mountedto the containment rail system 20 or be formed integral with thecontainment rail system 20. The battery rack 12 is then placed in theliner 24, mounted through the liner 24 to the containment rail system20, or mounted through the liner 24 to the floor directly. Pillows 18and socks 22 are optionally placed in the liner 24. If a liner 24 is notused, the optional pillows 18 and socks 22 may be placed within theperimeter formed by the containment rail system 20. Batteries may thenbe stored on the battery rack 12.

FIG. 64 illustrates a battery spill containment system which includes abattery rack 12 having multiple shelves to hold the batteries 14. Thesystem further includes a liner 24 placed within the perimeter formed bythe containment rails 16. Spill neutralizing and absorbing pillows 18are placed in the liner 24.

FIG. 5 is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containmentsystem that illustrates that the system may be configured to have anydesired shape or size. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the containment railsystem 20 comprises a variety of containment rails 16. Containment rails16 themselves may have different sizes, shapes and configurations andare described in greater detail later in this patent specification. Thecorners and edges of each containment rail may be rounded if desired. Aswith any of the embodiments of any of the components or systemsdescribed in this patent specification, the dimensions, size, shapeand/or configuration of each particular component or the entire systemmay be changed as desired for the particular application. For example,FIG. 5 illustrates long containment rails 26, short containment rails28, corner containment rails 30, and adjustable containment rails 32.The adjustable containment rails 32 have a plurality of mounting holes34 that allow the installer to adjust the size, shape and configurationof the containment rail system 20 by selecting the mounting hole to use.In the particular embodiment of FIG. 5, both pillows 18 and socks 22 areused. However, any of the systems described in this patent specificationmay use only pillows, only socks, neither pillows nor socks, or both.

FIG. 6 is a battery spill containment system that is attached to a wall36. The system is formed in a rectangular shape. In the particularexample of FIG. 6, the containment rail system 20 comprises longcontainment rails 26, short containment rails 28 and notched containmentrails 38. The purpose of the notch 110 is described below with respectto FIG. 8.

FIG. 7 is a battery spill containment system formed in anotherrectangular shape. In the particular example of FIG. 7, the containmentrail system 20 comprises long containment rails 26, short containmentrails 28 and notched containment rails 38. The purpose of the notch 110is described below with respect to FIG. 8. Further, this exampleembodiment uses pillows 18 only.

FIG. 8 is a battery spill containment system formed in yet anotherrectangular shape. This system is inverted such that the flangesprotrude inward toward the rack. As a result, the inverted system hassmooth outer surfaces which increases the aisle width and does notinterfere with surrounding equipment or personnel. By contrast, forexample, the system of FIG. 7 has flanges 40 that jut outwardly. Thenotch 110 permits the building of an inverted containment rail systemshown in FIG. 8 where the exterior surfaces of the containment railsystem are smooth. Smooth exterior surfaces may be desirable to reducethe hazard of tripping personnel who walk by the system. As illustrated,pillows 18 and socks 22 may be selected to fill the containment railsystem 20 as desired.

Advantageously, the spill containment system 10 may be configured tohave any desired shape or size. FIG. 9 is a battery spill containmentsystem formed in an L-shape. FIG. 10 is a battery spill containmentsystem formed in a U-shape. FIG. 11 is a battery spill containmentsystem formed in yet another shape. Again, any configuration of pillows18 and socks 22 may optionally be used to suit the size, shape andconfiguration of the containment rail system 20.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a pillow 18. The pillow 18 ispreferably made from spunbound polypropylene material. When exposed to aflame, the pillow 18 also preferably melts instead of ignites. In thisparticular embodiment, the pillow 18 is fabricated out of a fabric andfilled with a neutralizing material such as soda ash blended with anabsorbent material such as vermiculite. In the alternative, any causticbase solution may be used. Thus, the pillow absorbs and retains moistureand also neutralizes acids. Optionally, a coloring agent may be added tothe pillow 18 so that when acid contacts the pillow 18, the coloringagent soaks through the polypropylene fabric to alert personnel that anacid spill has occurred. The sock 22, illustrated in FIG. 13, may befabricated the same as a pillow 18. Each pillow and sock may optionallybe marked with an unique serial number for tracking purposes. The weightof a pillow 18, for example, may be 2.8 to 5 ounces, although otherweights are certainly allowable.

FIG. 14 is an exploded piece-part drawing of a small-sized battery spillcontainment system. The system comprises a containment rail system 20formed by containment rails, an optional corrosion resistant liner 24,and an optional pillow 18 and/or sock 22.

FIG. 15 is an exploded piece-part drawing of a battery spill containmentsystem that uses a pad 44 and optional grid 46. The system comprises acontainment rail system 20 formed by containment rails, a corrosionresistant liner 24, a pad 44 and a grid 46.

Containment rails are mounted together to form the containment railsystem 20. A corrosion resistant liner 24 is optionally inserted intothe containment rail system 20. A pad 44, also shown in FIG. 16, isplaced into the corrosion resistant liner 24. The pad 44 is made of thesame material and serves the same purpose as pillow 18 and sock 22. Thepad 44 is essentially a thin pillow 18. The pad 44 is particularlysuited for containing spills from valve regulated lead acid (VRLA)batteries because VRLA batteries do not leak as much as some otherbatteries and thus, the pads do not need to be as thick as the pillows.VRLA batteries do not leak as much because they are typically sealedbatteries and contain a gel instead of liquid acid. An optional grid 46is then placed on top of the pad 44 in order to protect the pad 44 fromthe battery. The grid 46 may be made of a metal which may be corrugatedfor strength to hold heavy objects such as a battery. The metal gridalso may be PVC coated to make it resistant to the spilled material.Alternatively, the grid 46 may be a perforated PVC sheet where theperforations allow the spilled substance to drip through and onto thepillows.

In this particular embodiment, the containment rail system 20 may have aheight of three inches; the liner 24 may have a height of four inches;the pad 44 may have a thickness of a quarter inch; and the grid may beone-sixteenth of an inch thick. Of course, as with any of theembodiments and examples described in this patent specification, thedimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of the spill containmentsystem and any of its components may be changed as desired for theparticular application.

FIG. 17 is a perspective closeup view of a containment rail system for abattery. The containment rail system 20 shown in FIG. 17 is anintegrally formed structure having compartments such as a compartment 50to hold a battery or batteries and an optional compartment 52 to holdadditional batteries. Compartments 50 and 52 are separated by anoptional ridge 56 which creates structural support so that thecontainment rail system can maintain its shape despite holding heavybatteries. Additional compartments may be added. Flanges 54 allow thecontainment rail system 20 to be mounted to other structures such as abattery rack. FIGS. 18 and 19 are a front edge view and a top view ofthe containment rail system of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a battery spill containment system 10that is holding batteries 14. As shown, the batteries rest on and aresurrounded by socks 22. Alternatively, the socks 22 could be placed inany manner adjacent to the batteries 14.

Additional features are possible. For example, a leak detection device60 may detect and indicate whether a leak or spill from a device hasoccurred. FIG. 21 is an exploded piece-part view of a battery spillcontainment system 10, a leak detection device 60 and a battery rack 12.The containment rail system 20 may be any of the containment railsystems described in this patent specification. Preferably, thecontainment rail system 20 is mounted to the floor. A corrosionresistant membrane or liner 24 is inserted into the containment railsystem 20. A leak detection device 60 comprises a leak detector 62, alead 64 and a leak indicator 66. The leak detector 62 may use any of avariety of known methods to detect the presence of a leak or spill ofany substance including water and acids. For example, one embodiment ofthe leak detector 62 is now described. In this example embodiment, theleak detector 62 may be a cotton sleeve that holds two conductor strandsin close proximity to each other. Each of the conductor strands iswrapped by a braided fiberglass material so that the two conductorstrands are not shorted together. One end of the two-conductor sleevesystem is split so that one conductor connects to one end of a 3.9M ohmresistor while the other conductor connects to the other end of theresistor. The other end of the two-conductor sleeve system is also splitwhere one conductor goes to a first lug inside the leak indicator 66 andthe other conductor goes to a second lug inside the leak detector 66.Specifically, one embodiment of conductors uses seven conductors, 728stranded, 20 aug. A current flows through the circuit formed by the twoconductors and the resistor to the leak indicator 66. The cotton sleeveacts as a wick to draw fluids and liquids to the two conductors. Fluidsthat reach the conductors pass through the fiberglass material andcontact the conductors, causing the conductors to short together. Theshorting of the conductors decreases the effective resistance andincreases the current flow. When the leak indicator 66 detects anincrease in current or a decrease in resistance across the first andsecond lugs, the leak indicator 66 determines that a leak or spill hasoccurred. The leak detector 62 preferably is able to detect leaks orspills that fall anywhere on liner 24. For example, the leak detector 62may be in a coil or zigzag shape to cover a large area of the liner 24.Other configurations are possible and included within the scope of thisinvention. The leak detector 62 may be embedded into the liner 24 orsimply rest on its surface. The leak detector 62 passes informationabout the presence or absence of a spill through a lead 64 to leakindicator 66. The leak indicator 66 indicates to personnel whether aspill or leak has occurred, through for example, an audible or visualalarm, or any other known mechanism for indicating the presence orabsence of a condition. The leak detector 66 may optionally have aplurality of states that indicate the amount of spillage. For instance,if the leak detector 66 is based on an audible or visual alarm, the leakdetector 66 may increase its audible alarm or flash more lights as theamount of spillage increases. Still further, the leak detector 66 maynot only serve monitoring and indication functions, but alsocommunication functions. For example, the leak detector 66 maycommunicate by radio frequency signals, infrared light, data over afax/modem line, data over a telephone or other data line, or a directconnection to a fire alarm, security guard station, or otheralarming/monitoring systems. The leak detector 66 may have an electricalconnection that permits (e.g., a dry “C” contact) customer communicationwith the site. Still alternatively, when the leak detector 66 detects aspill, or alternatively a severe enough spill, the leak detector 66 maycause certain events to occur, including but not limited to the issuanceof an alarm to the proper personnel, the shutting off of equipment, orthe diversion of power resources to other non-leaking batteries. Theleak detection device 60 may be powered by AC current, its own batterysource, or one of the batteries in the battery rack.

We now turn to the components that form a containment rail system 20.FIGS. 22-24 are a perspective view, a side edge view and a front view ofa containment rail respectively. The containment rail 76 has a mountingflange 80 that has at least one hole 78. The hole 78 allows a screw,nail, or any other mounting device to mount the containment rail 76 tothe floor or other structure. Of course, any of the dimension, size,shape and configuration of the containment rail may be changed to suitthe particular application. The number of holes may be increased ordecreased. If the mounting procedure relies on adhesive, the containmentrail 76 may require no holes.

The containment rail 76 may be an adjustable containment rail 82, asshown in FIGS. 25-27. The adjustable containment rail 82 has a mountingflange 80 that has a plurality of holes 78. Each of the plurality ofholes 78 is spaced from its neighboring hole by either a uniform amountor a non-uniform amount. Preferably, the plurality of holes 78 arespaced apart by a uniform amount so that the adjustable containmentrails may be used to form a containment rail system of predetermineddimensions.

A corner containment rail is illustrated in FIGS. 28-30. The cornercontainment rail 88 may be used to form the corner of a containment railsystem 20. The corner containment rail 88 has a mounting flange 80 andmounting holes 78. The corner containment rail may be a ninety degreecorner, a sixty degree corner, a forty-five degree corner, or any othercorner as desired. Again, as with any of the embodiments of any of thecomponents or systems described in this patent specification, thedimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of the particular cornercontainment rail may be changed as desired for the particularapplication.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a containmentrail 100. FIGS. 32-34 depict the front view, side view and top view ofthe containment rail of FIG. 31 respectively. The rail 100 has flangesand holes 78. The dimensions, size, shape and/or configuration of thecontainment rail may be changed as desired for the particularapplication. Examples of such different embodiments are provided inFIGS. 35-38 and FIGS. 39-42. Other variations of the components of thecontainment rail system 20 are possible. For example, the containmentrail 100 may have no flanges, one flange, two flanges, or more than twoflanges. Often the number of flanges depends on the mountingrequirements of the system. FIGS. 43-46 illustrate a containment rail100 that has one flange, while FIGS. 31-42 depict containment railshaving two flanges. As another example of a variation to the containmentrail, FIGS. 47-50 illustrate a containment rail 100 having a notch 110.As discussed above, the notch 110 permits the building of an invertedcontainment rail system as shown in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 52-55, 56-59 and 60-63 are views of a containment rail havingslots. The slots allow the rail to be slidably mounted to the floor orother components to form a containment rail system of variabledimensions. The number, shape and dimensions of the slots may be changedas desired.

FIG. 51 is a perspective view of a containment rail with components tomount the wall to the floor. A concrete floor is prepared according tothe specification set forth by the American Society of Testing Materials(ASTM). Specifically, the installer follows the ASTM specification forcoating a concrete floor with epoxy to make the floor watertight. Theproposed spill containment system preferably does not use adhesive toglue a spill containment system to the floor. Preferably instead, afterthe epoxy has dried, holes are drilled into the floor so that the spillcontainment system can be bolted to the floor. Bolting the system to thefloor instead of gluing the system to the floor allows users to usebattery lifting equipment. It is important to allow the normal use ofbattery lifting equipment because batteries in a battery rack must beserviced regularly and replaced as needed. Bolting rather than gluingthe system to the floor also avoids the labor intensive nature of usingan adhesive and waiting one to two days for the adhesive to cure.

While any mounting components may be used to secure the spillcontainment system to the floor, FIG. 51 illustrates an example thatuses a screw 120, optional washer 122, and optional floor anchor 124. Ananchor punch tool 126 with its punching surface 128 may be used tocreate an appropriately sized hole in the floor so that the floor anchor124 may be then inserted into the floor. The floor anchor 124 isinserted into the hole in the floor. The screw 120 is inserted into thewasher 122, through the hole 78 and into the floor anchor 124. Thepurpose of the floor anchor 124 is to increase the degree to which thescrew 120 is secured to the floor. Thus, the floor anchor 124 alsoincreases the integrity of the system if the system must hold thespilled substance during an emergency. Containment rails are bolted toone another to form a containment rail system. A sealant such as butylrubber may be applied to all seams and holes to further create awatertight seal. This procedure for building a spill containment systemcan be used regardless if the system is for containing spills from a newor existing battery rack.

While the spill containment system has been proposed for containing acidspills from batteries, it can be used to contain spills from any devicesuch as air conditioning units (which may leak water or freon), waterheaters (which may leak water), or any other device. Moreover, it is notlimited to containing and/or neutralizing acid spills as it can be usedto contain and/or neutralize any kind of spill including a non-acidicspill.

While embodiments and implementations of the subject invention have beenshown and described, it should be apparent that many more embodimentsand implementations are within the scope of the subject invention.Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted, except in light ofthe claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery rack system, comprising: a battery rack for holding a plurality of batteries; and a liner-equipped containment system connected to the battery rack, the containment system for containing leaks or spills from the batteries, wherein the containment system includes a liner therein and wherein the battery rack is mounted to the containment system or to a floor below the containment system through the liner.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the liner is mounted to the containment system.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the liner is formed integral with the containment system.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the liner has a base and a wall.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the containment system is resistant to damage from the leaks or spills.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the battery rack includes a plurality of shelves.
 7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a pillow of material placed on the liner.
 8. A method, comprising: holding a plurality of batteries on a battery rack; and containing leaks or spills from the batteries utilizing a liner-equipped containment system connected to the battery rack, wherein the containment system includes a liner therein and wherein the battery rack is mounted to the containment system or to a floor below the containment system through the liner.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the liner is mounted to the containment system.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the liner is formed integral with the containment system.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the liner has a base and a wall.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the containment system includes a material placed in an area defined by the containment system.
 13. The method of claim 8 further comprising a placing at least a pillow of material on the liner.
 14. A battery rack system, comprising: a battery rack for holding a plurality of batteries; and a containment system for containing leaks or spills from the batteries, the containment system including a liner, wherein the battery rack is connected to the containment system or to a floor below the containment system, and wherein the containment system includes at least a pillow of material placed on the liner in an area defined by the containment system.
 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the liner is mounted to the containment system.
 16. The system of claim 14 wherein the liner is formed integral with the containment system.
 17. The system of claim 14 wherein the liner has a base and a wall.
 18. The system of claim 14 wherein at least a portion of the containment system is resistant to damage form the leaks or spills.
 19. The system of claim 14 wherein the battery rack includes a plurality of shelves. 